


After the adventure

by Prawnperson



Category: Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012)
Genre: Based off part of a conversation my friend and I had that I can’t stop thinking about, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossdressing, Cuddling, Dialogue Heavy, Friendship, I love the ship but I also love them being buddies first, M/M, Mentions of Violence, Oliver Twist mention, Pre-Relationship, Reference to kidnapping, Scarf in a dress is Pirates answer to Boyle in jeans, Ugly Sweaters, Victorian Dresses, What a mess of tags, but it’s the tail end of it, but it’s very mild, descriptions of injuries, flustered Captain, kind of ooc, marooning, playing with hair, post first book
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23368264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prawnperson/pseuds/Prawnperson
Summary: The Captain comes to talk to the pirate with a scarf just after they leave their adventure with scientists behind and one sided awkwardness ensues. Set after the first book in the series.
Relationships: Pirate Captain & Pirate With A Scarf, Pirate Captain/Pirate with a Scarf
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	After the adventure

“Oh, Lord, I am sorry!”

The Captain starts, backing up out of the cabin and fumbling to pull the door closed behind him. There’s a laugh from within before he can get it all the way shut, closely followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.

“You’re quite alright, Captain, come in.”

Says the pirate with a scarf. The Captain can only recognise him now that he’s looking at his face, framed by the usual livid scar down his cheek and the distinctly unusual curls of hair that have fallen just above his shoulders. He steps back to allow the Captain into his cramped, albeit cozy, cabin, before going back to his previous actions.

“Something you wanted to talk about, sir?”

His tone is casual, if a little bit hoarse from before, his fingers working away at the buttons at the hip of his petticoat. It’s all lace at the hem and flouncy white the rest of the way up. 

“Uh-I thought you were that new girl, what’s-her-name...”

“Jennifer, sir.”

Right. Jennifer. He can’t focus on much of anything else as he watches his deputy undress. Scratch that, as he watches his loyal, dull, everyman deputy undress from frilly women’s underthings. It’s odd and uncomfortable and he is not supposed to be the uncomfortable one in this partnership.

“Captain?”

The pirate with a scarf asks, very familiar with his superiors penchant for losing focus over the slightest thing. He steps out of the petticoat before kicking it to the side to go back into the costume box later. His dress proper is up on a hanger, hooked on the peg next to his mirror. He sort of likes it, odd as it is, the silky blue fabric moving and swishing so nicely every time he moves. Warm, too. The silence stretches on until the pirate with a scarf pulls his corset cover off from over his head and realises that he can’t reach around to unpick the knot that ties the laces of his corset together. He mumbles a curse under his breath before turning around and beckoning the Captain towards him.

“Sorry, Captain, could you undo that at the back? I can’t reach.”

It takes a solid five seconds for the Captain’s brain to screech to a halt on everything else and comprehend the fact that the pirate with a scarf has just asked him to undo his corset, and he’d be an even worse liar than he already is if he said that it didn’t make him feel oddly nervous. He steps forwards awkwardly and unties the complex bow in the cord with a deftness he’s rather proud of. 

Any confidence gained back from the feat of good piratical knowledge is smashed to bits whenever the pirate with a scarf gives a pleased groan and straightens his front to begin undoing the clasps at the front of the corset. He turns back towards the Captain but keeps his eyes focused on his work, letting out small sighs of relief with each clasp that comes free.

“Now, tell me what you had to discuss, sir.”

“Right, it’s...uhm...ah...”

“Sir?”

“What? Sorry, about the Bishop.”

The corset joins the petticoat in the unruly heap on the floor. The pirate with a scarf takes a seat atop the chest placed against the wall beneath his porthole and undoes one of the clasps on his suspender belt.

“What about him?”

“Well,”

The Captain starts, watching with fascination as the long striped stockings roll off his first mate’s legs like water. 

“Where do you think we ought to maroon him? I was thinking somewhere nice and warm where he could just stew.”

The pirate with a scarf pulls balled up socks out from his vest. The Captain can’t help but laugh. 

“That seems needlessly cruel, even for us, Captain. Why?”

“I don’t like him. Don’t like what he did to you, the dirty cad...kraken’s ears, look at your arms.”

The Captain takes his first mate’s arms awkwardly into his hands, turning them over with a wince. Dark red rope burns are bruised into his skin in neat, arching curves. They get angrier towards his wrists to the point the skin is actually broken, fierce carmine against the pale canvas of flesh. 

“Your lip’s all swollen, too...”

“That was from when I fell. Plus, I might have taken my makeup off wrong, but Jennifer said it’s not good for your skin to leave it on long.”

“When on earth did she tell you that?”

The pirate with a scarf shrugs as though it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“A bit after we got kidnapped.”

“You were talking to her about skincare whenever you were tied to a cog facing certain death?!”

“Not much else to do, was there?”

Well, he really can’t argue with that. His eyes fall down down to the bloodied crisscross pattern etched into the shorter pirates knuckles, bringing them up for closer examination only to find that the blood has pooled and dried on the heel of his palm.

“And where is this from, dare I ask?”

The pirate with a scarf beams mischievously.

“From when I punched him.”

The Captain releases his wrist and allows his deputy to turn his back to him again and finally pull his vest up over his head, bending over to open the chest he sat on just moments ago and rummage around inside it. The Captain kneels next to him, reaching for the first aid box in the corner of the chest and popping it open, immediately finding the tiny packet of wipes in the corner and proceeding to wipe blood off his first mate’s hand. He flicks the stained towelette into the bin in the corner once he’s done and does a private wiggle of a victory dance whenever it goes in on the first try.

“Somewhere near the Andaman Islands, I should think, sir. A little one with plenty of spiders.” 

“Good choice. The lads are flicking tomato pips at him up on deck. Care to join them?”

With a shake of his head, the pirate with a scarf pulls a heavy woollen jumper on. It’s ghastly looking, bright blue with a childish looking orange crab sewn onto the front that is quickly covered by his signature scarf.

“Not really, Captain, though thanks all the same. I think I’m just going to stay down here and read for a bit. I’m...tired.”

He hefts himself into his hammock, pulling the sheets over his legs and finally hiding the silly skull and crossbones pattern on his boxers. 

“Oh...well, do you mind if I join you?”

“No, not at all.”

So, a little awkwardly, the Captain throws himself into the hammock next to the pirate with a scarf with a speed that should not be possible in sock soles. The pirate with a scarf makes a distressed, high noise, grabbing the rope that secures the hammock to the wall as it lurches violently, before it finally stills and leaves the two of them lying side by side, the pirate with a scarf reaching beneath his pillow to pull out his book. The Captain’s fingers find their way to the other man’s hair, a little clumsily brushing through the curls that are quickly beginning to fall out of place. Unprompted, knowledgable as always to his Captain’s preferences, the pirate with a scarf clears his throat and opens the book.

“Among other public buildings in a certain town, which for many reasons it will be prudent to refrain from mentioning, and to which I will assign no fictitious name...”

**Author's Note:**

> The first serialised parts of Oliver Twist came out in the same year as the book (1837). Ain’t that fun?


End file.
